Gülek Castle

Gülek Castle is a medieval castle in Mersin Province, Turkey.

Location

The Castle is a part of Tarsus ilçe (district) of Mersin Province. It is located to the west of Gülek Pass (Cilician Gates) at . Its altitude with respect to sea level is 1,530 metres (5,020 ft). Its distance to Tarsus is about 63 kilometres (39 mi) and to Mersin is 95 metres (312 ft)

History

Gülek Kalesi (Armenian: Kuklak; Arab: Kawlāk) is a large fortification of considerable antiquity which retains evidence of Byzantine and Arab periods of occupation, but is primarily a construction of the 12th and 13th centuries attached to the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. Its circuit walls and towers at the south and west cover a distance of over 450 meters. An extensive photographic survey and plan of Gülek Castle was made between 1973 and 1979. Its name in the 12th century was Askaliba. In an Armenian document a certain Symbat was named as the lord of the castle. The castle was used to control the passage from Cilicia to Cappadocia and the pasangers had to pay a certain sum to the lord of the castle. Later, the castle was captured by the Mamluks of Egypt and the Ottoman Empire. Ottomans obtained lead from the mines to the northwest of the castle. During the revolt of Mehmet Ali Pasha in the 19th century, the castle was used by İbrahim Pasha of Egypt, Mehmet Ali's son.

Technical details

The gate is at the south side. The castle walls are on the south and west side. The north and the east sides are protected by the natural sharp clifts. Most of the building material is bossage type stones, typical of Armenian masonry. But there are also more recent ruins which resemble that of the Casemates of İbrahim Pasha (which are situated to the north of Gülek Castle).

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Tips & Hints
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mahoni510
5 July 2018
Efsane fotoğrafların yeri buradı. Yolu biraz sapa ama araçla gidilebiliyor. Tesis yok
Elif CENGİZ GÜNGÖR
9 August 2016
Arabayla gitmek şart ama giderken usta bir şoför şart yollar çok virajlı. Ve manzara o tırmanışa değer ✌
Ahmet Öncel
2 April 2017
Manzarası gerçekten bu kadar yol eziyetine değer. Gelebilmek için Ankara-Adana otoyolundan Gülek kalesi takip edilir. İyi seyirler ;)
Dicle DURAK❤
26 June 2018
Gereksiz dünyadan insanlardan uzak çok huzurlu muhteşem birşey iç doğasıyla oynanmamış hayran kalacaginiz bir yer
MEHMET Ali ERCAN
15 March 2016
Tarsus belediyesi burayı önemsemeli. insanlar burayı görmek istiyor. Büyük bir potansiyel.
Oğuzhan
2 November 2019
Yolu çok zorlu olsada o meşhur kare için değecek manzarası var. Çok erken saatlerde giderseniz daha sakin. (7-7:30) Fotoğraf çekerken aman dikkatli olun!
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Map
0.4km from Gülek, Unnamed Road, 33530 Tarsus/Mersin, Turkey Get directions
Sat 11:00 AM–7:00 PM
Sun 10:00 AM–8:00 PM
Mon Noon–7:00 PM
Tue-Wed 1:00 PM–7:00 PM
Thu 2:00 PM–7:00 PM

Gülek Kalesi on Foursquare

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